When you are looking at college it is an idea for the future. At the time you are in high school so it doesn’t seem real. Then you become a senior and everything hits you at once. Test scores, letters of recommendation, college essays and multiple applications seem impossible and overwhelming. Trying to find the balance between enjoying senior year and not drowning in the college work is the hard part. Students are trying to do well in their classes while showing  interest in the numerous schools they are applying to by doing college visits, traveling to open houses, and going on interviews.

Recently, I even took a class at Adelphi to become exposed to the types of classes I would be taking if I were a college student. Immediately upon walking into the school, it was a totally different atmosphere. The campus was lively and everyone was doing something, whether it was taking part in a study group with friends, meeting with a teacher after class, or working on campus activities. On campus everyone is friendly with one another; just in the short time I walked to class with a student from the school, they were greeted by at least five people. There is a very close knit feel that I clearly felt.

Once in the class it was like any early college class has been described. There are two types of kids. Half of them are in their pajamas with their coffee, and the other half look like they slept well and got up early to get ready.  Once class began, everyone was the same. The teacher went through the attendance, which was refreshing; in the movies, the stereotypical setting is a big lecture hall where the teacher doesn’t even know the students’ names.

The class I  attended was Oral Communication in the Professional World. The professor showed us a TED talk by Amy Cuddy about body language. Throughout the video, Cuddy discussed how body language affects the way people see you, as well as  how people’s body language often compliments one another. For example, if someone is sitting very open or standing strong, the other person most likely will be more closed off and covering her body. Cuddy also talked about how power posing or standing in a posture of confidence, even when we don’t feel confident, can boost feelings of confidence. It might even have an impact on people’s chances for success. I thought that these finding were very interesting and did a good job at opening my eyes to the roots of communication.

After class, I was taken to lunch with another student. As mentioned before, on my walk, the student accompanying me knew several people they walked past in the span of a few minutes.   The thing I realized about college is that it’s not as scary as people say. With small class sizes you get a nice personalized education in the field you want to go into, while being pushed to stretch yourself and push your learning limits. In addition, no matter whether you are a commuter or a resident, college also encourages independent thought and behavior and forces you to become the person you are going to be for the rest of your life.

* photo via Google Images under the Creative Commons license